Like the rest of the teams across Illinois, Lena-Winslow kicked off the football season on Monday. But the back-to-back Class 1A state-runners-up did so with nearly the exact same team ― and with a new home field waiting for them to play on.

"We've got a lot of the guys back, and a new turf field and all, but that doesn't guarantee anything," Lena-Winslow head coach Ric Arand said. "But then you look and we've got a handful of two-year starters that have lost two state championship games in a row... That leaves a bad taste in your mouth. These guys are motivated." More prep football: IHSA football 2025: Schedules for NIC-10, BNC, NUIC, Rochelle and 8-man teams in Rockford area

Le-Win was shooting for its seventh 1A state championship in the past 14 years the past two postseasons, but th

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